Looking sad at Burtonwood.

[magpienja]

I was driving down the M62 heading east today and noticed that they appear to be demolishing the old hangers that the USAF used in WW2,

What a shame I thought the only remaining part of the once mighty airbase with some of the old taxiway still visible, what a pity they did not leave the old ctl tower standing as local landmark.

Nick.

[VfrpilotPB/2]

Too late by many years, the people who are in charge didnt realise what a gem that place was, it could have made a very good Airfield for GA and cargo, but then sombody put a motorway right through it , from that day on all was lost.... The history, the aircraft , the people and sadly the injuries and deaths mean nothing to the unthinking uncaring planners of recent times!:ugh:

Peter R-B
VFR

[Brewster Buffalo]

By the 1950s the USAF had upgraded Burtonwood to a higher standard than Ringway or Speke but then abandoned it for Mildenhall for some reason.

Sadly the self interest of the respective councils meant than Burtonwood never became the international airport for the North West it could have been.

[magpienja]

What a shame, I remember some months before they demolished the old tower I went in for a look around it you could just walk in and mooch about,

I found it very nostalgic trying to visualize the comings and going, must of been quite a place in its hay day.

Nick.

[REF]

There is a couple great photos of Burtonwood here;
Airfield Information Exchange - RAF Burtonwood - MERGED (http://airfieldinformationexchange.freeforums.org/raf-burtonwood-merged-t782.html)

[chiglet]

I used to glide at Burtonwood [my first ever flight :ok:], so yes, the place does have happy memories.


Too late by many years, the people who are in charge didnt realise what a gem that place was, it could have made a very good Airfield for GA and cargo,

Erm, not quite that simple. I work in Manchester Centre [Area Radar] and with Manch and Liverpool very close together, we have to have very robust safety procedures in place [eg, MAN on 23 LPL on 09, both a/fs on "Easterlies", etc]. Sooo, imagine Burtonwood, sitting in the middle...I don't think that I would like to design a SID/STAR profile for the Manch TMA with three busy airfields....:(
watp,iktch

[AMEandPPL]

So, imagine Burtonwood, sitting in the middle

It was only fairly recently that the Lancs Aero Club were seriously looking at the possibility of reactivating aviation at STRETTON Aerodrome. It looks as if it's not going to happen, but that's a decision by the land's owners, not the aviation authorities.

Like Burtonwood, Stretton is also more or less midway between EGGP and EGCC, but, apparently, would not have raised great objections from NATS or the CAA if the LAC had been given the chance to try it.

Also just like Burtonwood, Stretton is in/on the Low Level Route. Scope for all sorts of conflicts, I would have thought.

[midnight retired]

You have to remember that in the postwar years Burtonwood was considered as the site of a major transatlantic airport serving the Northwest but the party politics that existed then ,and to an extent continue to this day between the respective owners of Liverpool and Manchester Airports prevented progress on this project. However it was all academic because the US Airforce had to cease operations on the main runway due to defects caused by earlier coalmining tunnels under the runway,although the US Airforce did persevere with its light communication aircraft for some years on a grass strip running parallel and South of the main Runway, defined for night operations by an electric cable providing power for runway edge lights mounted on metal spikes,the setup referred to as Vietnam Flares which dates it about 1966.

[midnight retired]

In about 1979 I tried to get permission to operate a flyinging club from Stretton,the then owners of the airfield situated North or the M56 were most encouraging but unfortunately the runway length available was not suitable so we approached Shell who owned the main runway south of the M56 but they declined on the basis of their car/fuel testing operation carried out on said runway, so history repeats itself !! A few years later I did have the satisfaction of recovering a PA28 which had force landed at Stretton due to a rough running engine experienced by the owner after takeoff from nearby Ringway.So at least I did achieve my goal albeit a 1 way return to Ringway. One abiding memory on departure was the impressive length of this disused wartime runway.

[Atcham Tower]

My friend Aldon Ferguson, author of the Burtonwood books and a lot more, reckons that the stories about subsidence were political spin rather than an actual hazard. As for Stretton, it could yet be developed for GA. A Navajo landed there recently. The LLR would indeed be a hazard though.

Burtonwood memories - ah yes, a spectacular B-47 take-off, WB-50 Superforts doing touch-and goes, BOAC DC-7Cs, Connies, Globemasters doing 20 minute run-ups, one had an engine backfire just before rotation, braked and taxied all the way back to the hold for another go, successful that time. I could go on ... But I missed the B-36s.:{

[magpienja]

Atcham Tower That must of been quite a sight, I wonder is there any video available anywhere,

I remember as a kid in Liverpool mid-late 60s seeing Piper Seminoles, Hueys, DC-6s, (Convair 330s?? with big red crosses on the tail) all connected with Burtonwood going into Liverpool, fantastic days.

Nick.

[magpienja]

REF some nice pics there thanks for the link.

Nick.

[denis555]

Shame - I have spent many "mooching about" hours there - will just be remembered as a service station now...

[wub]

Here are a couple of links which may be of interest:

RAF Burtonwood Airfield (http://www.controltowers.co.uk/B/Burtonwood.htm)

RAF Burtonwood Aerial Photographs (1945/1976) ARCHIVED - UK Urban Exploration Forums (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=9210)

[mr fish]

brings to mind the intro to "12o'clock high" and "above us the stars".
my grandad often held me spellbound with his stories of trips around deserted bases after the war.
they must have had a magical atmosphere.

[Brewster Buffalo]

My friend Aldon Ferguson, author of the Burtonwood books and a lot more, reckons that the stories about subsidence were political spin rather than an actual hazard.......

From Mr Ferguson's Burtonwood book - as long ago as 1959 it was estimated that by 1970 only 4000 feet of the main runway would be unaffected by subsidence with the rest sinking as much as three feet.

But that presumed continuing mining which in the event never happened and would not have been allowed if the USAF continued to use Burtonwood.

[Ironside0]

The subsidence was a real problem,as when the M62 was built along the elevation of the main runway it suffered serious subsidence for about the fist 10 years at the point where the new junction 8 was built a couple of years ago.I remember driving towards Liverpool many times in the late 70's early 80's and the dip was so bad that cars viewed in the distance 'dissapeared' before emerging again! You can also see some evidence of the ground movement beetween the 2 lots of hangers that just about still exist as you travel from Liverpool the ground and taxiways drop by about 3-5 ft.None of this probably helped the cause for an airport,but politics and apathy from the Warrington Councils didnt help -they didnt have the clout of the combined Councils who owned Manchester Airport.BOAC did use Burtonwood for transatlantic flight in the 1950's whilst runway work was being carried out at Manchester -statocruisers i think?

Regards

Ironside

[Brewster Buffalo]

Where were the mines that mined under Burtonwood?

I remember driving down the East Lancs Road which was (maybe still is) like a roller coaster at times due subsidence.

BOAC did use Burtonwood in 1955 operating 6 flights a week using Stratocruisers as Ringway's runways were regarded as unsafe for night operations. All flights were to New York and passengers were bussed to and from Ringway.

[magpienja]

The nearest mine that I think of would be Sutton Manor just to the south of St Helens and only 300yds north of the M62,

The next near one would be the one at Newton le willows, come to think of it I think there was one at Bold to the west of St Helens and that was prob the nearest.

Nick.

[Ironside0]

Sutton manor,Bold & parkside were the nearest,Parkside i recall mines under Burtonwood,when all the pits closed many shafts & tunnells were filled and the subsidence reduced,i recall as a child in the mid 1960's the entire road near my house collapsed about 30' due to a tunnell collapse at Parkside,would have been interesting if that had been under a runway!:rolleyes:

[nacluv]

Drove across the M62 this week. Very sad to see that the last few remains of Burtonwood (i.e. the blister hangars right next to the motorway) have now gone. Looked like the work was just about complete.

No doubt a nice shiny new retail or distribution park will soon spring up in their place... http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/sowee.gif

[skua]

Aaah, Aldon Ferguson. That would be the same man that wrote the history of Woodvale.